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South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley said she would have taken the New York Knicks head coaching job if it had been offered.
Staley, 55, interviewed for the position before the Knicks hired Mike Brown in July.
“I would have had to do it. Not just for me. For women. To break (that door) open,” Staley said on the “Post Moves” podcast. “I would have had to. It’s the New York Knicks. I’m from Philly. But it’s the freaking New York Knicks.”
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South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first quarter of a semifinal of the NCAA Women’s Tournament against the Texas Longhorns at Amalie Arena on April 4, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. (Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Staley was one of many candidates the Knicks interviewed for their head coaching vacancy. The Knicks also interviewed former Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego, former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
Staley said she thought she did well in the interview but questioned whether she hurt her chances by asking the Knicks how they would handle the impact of hiring the NBA’s first female head coach.
“How, if you hired me as the first female head coach in the NBA, would it impact your daily job? Because it would,” Staley said. “You’re going to be asked questions that you don’t have to answer if you’re a male coach. There’s going to be the media and all this other stuff that you have to deal with that you didn’t have to deal with and don’t have to deal with when you hire a male. That got them to thinking, ‘Maybe she’s right.’”
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South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first half of the national championship game of the NCAA Women’s Tournament against the Connecticut Huskies at Amalie Arena on April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
She said she felt the energy change after her questions.
“So, I shot myself in the foot by being inquisitive and asking all those darn questions,” Staley said.
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University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley answers a question from moderator Dan Hughes during the University of Mount Union’s Schooler Lecture speaker series on April 23, 2025, in Alliance, Ohio. (IMAGN)
Staley is one of the most successful college basketball coaches of all time. She has won three national championships, reached seven Final Fours and been named AP Coach of the Year twice.
She has a career record of 647-190, good for a .773 winning percentage. She coached at Temple for eight seasons before joining South Carolina ahead of the 2008-09 season and is set to enter her 18th season with the Gamecocks.
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